Vientiane (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs LeVan Thanh led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the10th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (AMMSWD) onstrengthening social protection for vulnerable children in ASEAN in Vientiane,Laos on November 21.

Speaking at the event, Thanh affirmed that along with regional efforts,Vietnam has been realising its commitments through many policies fordisadvantaged children.

The Vietnamese Government is committed to working with other ASEAN membercountries and the international community to promote the enforcement of documentsthat have been adopted by ASEAN leaders towards inclusive development for allchildren, with no child left behind, he stressed.

He added that Vietnam has also paid attention to completinglegal corridors to ensure the rights, benefits and access of target groups suchas the elderly, people with disabilities and children, to basic socialservices, he added.

The country is working with ASEAN member states to develop an ASEAN declaration onpromotion of socialwork, to be submitted to the ASEAN Summit for approval in 2020,which is expected to be a strategic direction for the development of socialwork in the region and in each ASEAN member nation in the future, Thanh said.

Participants focused their discussion on strategic priorities inimplementing ASEAN’s agenda on social welfare and protection for vulnerable children, the elderly and disabledpeople, while reviewing the implementation of the work plan on social welfare anddevelopment in 2016-2020, defining prioritized fields and making preparations forbuilding a similar plan for 2021-2025.

Ministers and head delegates reaffirmed the importance of encouragingstakeholders’ engagement and a multi-faceted approach at all levels, as well astaking advantage of common strengths, competitive advantages, priorities and availableresources to support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups of children.

They agreed on the importance of incorporating measures in addressingchallenges in order to promote social security for children, especiallyvulnerable children, while discussing strategies to improve welfare and socialsecurity systems through sustainable finance and strategically planning for mobilisingresources.

Participants also praised efforts of ASEAN senior officials in charge of socialwelfare and development and the ASEAN Secretariat in implementing relevant initiatives.

The ministers and head delegates highly appreciated achievements made by the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights ofWomen and Children (ACWC) in the 2016-2020 period, and encouraged the ACWC to continue its efforts tocomplete the 2021-2025 work plan.

The meeting issued a joint statement and reached consensus on contents of themeeting’s reports./.